WordPress has become one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) for build a wordpress site. Its user-friendly interface, extensive plugin ecosystem, and customizable themes make it an ideal choice for beginners and experienced developers alike.

In this step-by-step guide, we will walk you through the process of build a WordPress site, from start to finish.

What are the necessary requirements for build a WordPress Site?

1. Domain Name: which serves as the website’s unique address, like google.com.
2. Web Hosting: A web hosting provider where your website files will be stored.
3. WordPress Installation: Install the WordPress software on your web hosting server.
4. WordPress Theme: Choose a design template for your website.
5. Content: Create and publish your website content, including pages, posts, and media.
6. Plugins: Enhance your website’s functionality with WordPress plugins.
7. Customization: Customize the appearance and features of your website using settings and options provided by WordPress and your chosen theme.
8. Regular Updates and Maintenance: Keep your WordPress installation, theme, and plugins up to date, and perform regular backups and security checks.

How to build a WordPress site on a budget?

• Choose a Cost-Effective Hosting Provider: Look for reliable hosting providers that offer affordable plans suitable for your needs. Shared hosting is often a cost-effective option for small to medium-sized websites.
• Use a Free or Affordable Theme: WordPress offers a wide range of free themes in its official repository. You can also find affordable premium themes on marketplaces like ThemeForest. Choose a theme that meets your requirements and budget.
• Optimize and Compress Images: Large image files can slow down your site’s loading speed and consume more server resources. Use image optimization plugins or online tools to compress and optimize your images without sacrificing quality.
• Minimize the Use of Plugins: While plugins can enhance functionality, too many of them can slow down your site and increase costs. Choose essential plugins that provide necessary features and avoid excessive plugin usage.
• Utilize Free WordPress Plugins: WordPress has a vast repository of free plugins that can add various functionalities to your site. Explore the available options before opting for premium plugins.
• Research Discounts and Deals: Keep an eye out for discounts, promotions, and bundle deals on premium themes and plugins. Subscribe to newsletters or follow reputable WordPress resource websites to stay updated on available offers.

For a typical personal website, the WordPress site for as low as $20 to $100 per year. On the other hand, the expense of a business website can range anywhere from $100 per year to as high as $30,000 per year.

It’s important to note that these cost estimates are general ranges and can vary depending on the location, expertise of professionals, and individual project requirements. To determine the actual cost for your specific WordPress website, it’s recommended to consult with web developers, designers, or agencies who can provide a detailed quote based on your specific needs.

What is the top website builder platform to consider for build a WordPress site?

Numerous website builder platforms are accessible for setting up a website, but our recommendation is to opt for self-hosted WordPress as your website platform.

• WordPress.org: WordPress.org is an open-source content management system (CMS) and website builder. It offers immense flexibility, a large community, and thousands of themes and plugins for customization. It’s suitable for various types of websites, from simple blogs to complex e-commerce sites.
• Wix: Wix is a user-friendly website builder platform that provides a drag-and-drop interface and a wide range of templates. It offers intuitive customization options, built-in features, and reliable hosting. Wix is known for its user-friendly approach and is suitable for small businesses, portfolios, and basic websites.
• Shopify: Shopify is a leading website builder platform specifically designed for e-commerce websites. It offers a complete e-commerce solution with built-in features for product management, payments, shipping, and more. Shopify provides a user-friendly interface and customizable themes tailored to online stores.

And many more platforms are there. Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to consider your specific requirements, such as the type of website you want to build, customization needs, e-commerce functionality, budget, and ease of use. Research and explore these platforms to determine which one aligns best with your goals and technical proficiency.

STEPS TO FOLLOW For Build a WordPress Site DESIGN

Step 1. WordPress Website Setup

Choose a Domain Name and Hosting Provider

• Select a domain name that represents your website. Choose a reputable domain registrar to register your domain.
• Find a reliable hosting provider that offers WordPress hosting. Consider factors like uptime, customer support, and pricing.

Step 2. Install WordPress

To install WordPress on your web hosting, follow these general steps:

• Access your web hosting account: Log in to your web hosting provider’s control panel or dashboard. This is where you can manage your hosting settings and install applications.
• Find the WordPress installer: Look for the section or feature within your hosting control panel that provides an option for installing applications or content management systems. It may be labeled as “One-Click Install,” “Softaculous,” or “Installatron.”
• Select WordPress: Locate WordPress from the list of available applications or content management systems. Click on it to start the installation process.
• Configure installation settings: You will be prompted to provide certain details for your WordPress installation, such as the domain or subdomain where you want to install it, the directory (if applicable), and an administrative username and password.
• Start the installation: Once you have filled in the necessary information, click on the “Install” or “Submit” button to begin the installation process.
• Wait for the installation to complete: The installer will automatically set up WordPress on your web hosting. This process may take a few moments.
• Access your WordPress site: After the installation is complete, you will be provided with a link or URL to access your newly installed WordPress site. Typically, it will be in the format of “yourdomain.com/wp-admin,” where you can log in to the WordPress dashboard and start customizing your website.

Note: The specific steps may vary depending on your web hosting provider and their control panel interface. If you encounter any difficulties, you can consult your hosting provider’s documentation or contact their support for assistance.

Step 3. Select Your Theme to build a wordpress site

The visual presentation of your WordPress site is determined by its WordPress theme.

WordPress themes are pre-designed templates that you can install on your website to alter its appearance.

Out of the box, every WordPress site is equipped with a default theme. If you were to visit your website, it would have a similar look to this example:

The default appearance may not be visually appealing to the majority of users.

However, there’s no need to worry as there is an extensive collection of both free and premium WordPress themes available for installation on your site.

To change your theme, simply access the WordPress admin dashboard. Navigate to the “Appearance” section and select the “Themes” page.

From there, click on the ‘Add New’ button to explore and install new themes:

In the following step, you will have the opportunity to browse through a selection of 9,600 free WordPress themes offered in the official WordPress.org themes directory.

On the subsequent screen, you can utilize various sorting options such as popular, latest, featured, and additional filters based on specific features (e.g., industry, layout, etc.).

If you have a specific free theme in mind that you wish to install, you can easily locate it by typing its name into the search field.

WordPress will present you with the search results displaying the theme you’re looking for. To proceed with the installation, simply hover your mouse over the theme and click on the “Install” button.

After successfully installing your chosen theme, you can proceed to activate it and customize it by accessing the “Customize” link located under the “Appearance” menu.

Clicking on the “Customize” link will open the theme customizer, allowing you to modify various theme settings while simultaneously previewing the changes live on your website.

After click on Customize you can do some customization and see changes like this:

If you are utilizing a newer full site editing theme, you will encounter an alternative version of the site customizer.

The default WordPress customizer, as well as full site editing, may not provide a genuine drag-and-drop customization experience.

For this reason, numerous website professionals and small business owners opt to employ a WordPress page builder plugin such as SeedProd, Divi, Elementor etc.

This enables them to customize any theme effortlessly, allowing modifications to fonts, styles, colors, and other elements to align with their website requirements.

With such tools, it is even possible to create a completely customized WordPress theme without the need for any coding expertise.

After installing the page builder in WordPress. Now, You can create a fully custom WordPress theme without any code like this:

Keep in mind that it’s not necessary to finalize all theme settings immediately. You will have a better opportunity to customize them once you have added content to your website.

To build a WordPress site, Now, let’s explore how to incorporate content into your WordPress site.

Step 4. Add Content to Your Website

WordPress includes two default content types: posts and pages. Posts are primarily utilized for blogging purposes and are displayed in reverse-chronological order (with newer items appearing first).

In contrast, pages are designed for static, standalone content such as an about page, contact page, privacy policy, custom landing page, and more.

By default, WordPress exhibits blog posts on the front page of your website. However, you have the flexibility to modify this and designate any static page as the homepage.

You can create a separate page dedicated to your blog or news section to showcase your recent posts. Alternatively, you can create a website without including a blog section at all.

With that being said, let’s proceed with adding content to your website.

Begin by creating a few pages for your WordPress site. Don’t worry if you don’t have sufficient content for these pages at the moment. You can always edit and update them later on.

To do this, navigate to the “Pages” section in the WordPress admin area and click on “Add New.” This will take you to the page editor screen, which will resemble the following image based on your chosen theme:

Firstly, provide a suitable title for your page. For instance, let’s name this page ‘Home Page‘.

Next, you can proceed to the text editor below to add content. This includes text, links, images, embedded videos, audio, and more.

Once you have added the desired content to your page, simply click on the “Publish” button to make it live on your website.

You can repeat this process to create additional pages for different sections of your website. For example, you can create an “About” page, a “Contact Us” page, and a “Blog” page to showcase your blog posts.

Now, let’s move on to adding a few blog posts as well.

Navigate to the “Posts” section in your WordPress admin area and select “Add New.” This will bring you to a screen similar to the one you encountered when adding pages earlier.

Begin by entering a post title, followed by adding content using the visual post editor. As you work on your post, you’ll also find additional options in the sidebar, such as post formats, categories, featured image, and tags.

To save your post as a draft, simply click on the “Save” button. Alternatively, if you’re ready to make it visible on your website, click on the “Publish” button.

Step 5. Personalizing and Refining Your Website

Having generated content for your website, it’s time to personalize it and ensure a visually appealing presentation for your users.

Let’s commence by establishing a static front page, commonly referred to as the homepage.

Configuring a Static Front Page

To accomplish this, navigate to the “Settings” menu and select the “Reading” page within your WordPress admin dashboard. Within the “Front page displays” section, choose the option for a static front page.

Subsequently, select the respective “Pages” you previously created for your home page and blog page.

Ensure to save your modifications by clicking the ‘Save Changes‘ button located at the bottom of the page, to preserve your adjustments.

WordPress will now utilize the page labeled ‘Home’ as the front page of your website and the ‘Blog‘ page to exhibit your blog posts.

Modifying the Site Title and Tagline

Upon installation, you were prompted to select a title for your site. WordPress automatically adds a default tagline to your site’s title, stating ‘Just another WordPress site‘.

You have the flexibility to modify both the site’s title and tagline at any given time. Simply visit the ‘Settings‘ menu and access the ‘General‘ page to make the desired changes.

The site title represents the name of your website, such as GrowBiz Solutions. On the other hand, the tagline typically consists of a concise line that describes your website.

If you prefer, you can leave the tagline field empty. WordPress SEO plugins like AIOSEO, Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and others will take precedence over it to enhance search engine optimization.

Remember to click on the “Save Changes” button to save your configuration.

Configure Comment Settings

WordPress includes a built-in commenting system that enables your users to leave comments on your posts. While this promotes user engagement, it may also attract unwanted spam.

To address this issue, it is recommended to enable comment moderation on your website.

Proceed to the “Settings” menu and select the “Discussions” page. Scroll down to the section labeled “Before a comment appears.” Check the box next to the option that reads “Comment must be manually approved.”

Ensure to click the “Save Changes” button to store your updated settings.

Avoiding Comment Submissions

In WordPress, blog posts often encourage reader engagement through comments. While comments can enhance interaction and discussion, some website owners may prefer to disable this feature for various reasons.

Disabling comments can be useful in scenarios where comments are not relevant to the content, or to mitigate spam and moderation efforts.

To address this issue, it is recommended to enable comment moderation on your website.

Proceed to the “Settings” menu and select the “Discussions” page. Scroll down to the section titled “Default post settings” or “Default comment settings.”

Uncheck the box that says “Allow people to submit comments on new articles.”

Save the changes by clicking the “Save Changes” button.

By disabling comments, you can create a more streamlined and focused user experience for your blog posts.

Establish Navigation Menus

Navigation menus play a crucial role in facilitating user navigation across various pages and sections of your website. WordPress offers a robust navigation menu system, which is leveraged by your WordPress theme to showcase menus.

Now, let’s create a navigation menu for your website.

To begin, navigate to the “Appearance” menu and select the “Menus” page. Provide a name for your navigation menu and click on the “Create Menu” button.

WordPress will create your navigation menu, but it will initially be devoid of any items.

Next, you must choose the pages you wish to include in your menu, followed by clicking the “Add to Menu” button.
Observe as your selected pages populate the previously empty area of your navigation menu. You can rearrange the position of these menu items by dragging them up or down.

Now, it’s time to designate a display location. These locations are predetermined by your WordPress theme, with the primary menu typically appearing at the top of your website’s header.

Finally, click on the “Save Menu” button to save your customized navigation menu.

Visit your website to witness the menu in action.

Step 6: Adding Plugins to WordPress

WordPress plugins function as extensions for your WordPress site, providing additional features and customizations. These can include contact forms, photo galleries, and more.

To install plugins, access your WordPress dashboard and navigate to the Plugins page.

There are currently over 99,000 free plugins available for WordPress, along with paid plugins from third-party websites and developers.

With such a vast selection of plugins, it can be challenging to choose the right ones. Don’t worry, we have you covered. Consult our guide on selecting the best WordPress plugins.

Below is a list of essential plugins that we recommend installing on your site. All of them are free.

FREEMIUM(FREE + PREMIUM) Plugins to Enhance Functionality for Build a WordPress Site:

1. Contact Form 7 – Enables you to add contact forms to your WordPress site, allowing you to display contact information alongside the form.
2. Crelly Slider – A simple yet effective slider plugin that allows you to create responsive sliders with custom animations and transitions.
3. MonsterInsights – Connects your website with Google Analytics to track visitor behavior and improve user engagement.
4. Google reCAPTCHA – Integrates Google’s reCAPTCHA service to protect your website from spam and automated bots.
5. SeedProd – A drag-and-drop page builder for creating custom designs and layouts without technical expertise.

FREEMIUM(FREE + PREMIUM) plugins for Performance Enhancement :

• All in One SEO – Enhances your WordPress SEO, helping you attract more organic traffic from search engines.
• Yoast SEO: Helps optimize your website for search engines, providing features like XML sitemaps, meta tags, content analysis, and more.
• SiteGround Optimizer – A free caching plugin that improves your website’s speed by implementing various optimization techniques and features such as caching, minification, and image optimization.
• PushEngage – Increases website traffic by connecting with visitors through push notifications after they leave your site.
• Advanced Cron Manager – Enables you to manage and optimize the execution of scheduled tasks (cron jobs) on your WordPress site, reducing unnecessary server load.

Freemium(Free + Premium) plugins for Security:

• Updraft Plus or Duplicator – Create scheduled backups of your website automatically.
• Wordfence Security– Wordfence is a widely used security plugin that offers features such as malware scanning, firewall protection, login security, and real-time traffic monitoring.
• iThemes Security – Enhances WordPress security by detecting and preventing attacks, enforcing strong passwords, and more.
• All In One WP Security & Firewall – Enhances website security and provides a comprehensive set of features to protect against vulnerabilities and malicious attacks.
• Defender Security – Provides security scanning, IP blocking, two-factor authentication, and more.
• Shield Security – Provides advanced security measures to safeguard your WordPress site, including protection against brute force attacks, malware scanning, and login protection.

Others:

• WP Simple Pay – Enables easy credit card payment acceptance on your WordPress site.
• WooCommerce – Facilitates the creation of an eCommerce website, simplifying the process of selling physical products.
• Elementor – A powerful drag-and-drop page builder that allows you to visually design and customize your website with ease.
• MemberPress – Makes it simple to create and sell online courses and digital memberships.
• OneSignal – Allows you to send push notifications to your website visitors, enabling you to engage and re-engage with your audience effectively.
• OptinMonster – Helps grow your email subscriber list and optimize website conversion rates with dynamic popups and personalization features.
• Job Manager & Career – Allow users to submit job applications directly from your website and manage them easily.
• WP Mail SMTP – Resolves WordPress email deliverability issues by fixing PHP Mail configurations on managed WordPress hosting providers.
• All-in-One WP Migration – Simplifies the process of migrating your WordPress site by allowing you to easily export and import all your website files, databases, plugins, and themes.

We trust that this guide has equipped you with the knowledge to build a wordpress site without the need for a web designer or exceeding your budget.

If You want to customize WordPress logo with your custom logo then you can check out our blog post for detailed instructions on how to customize the default logo in WordPress.